Leon Rose takeaways from latest interview, including calling Tom Thibodeau 'one of the best coaches in the NBA'

Here are the takeaways from Leon Rose’s interview on Sunday with MSG’s Mike Breen:

ON JULIUS RANDLE

if you were hoping to get clarity on how the Knicks will approach Julius Randle’s future with the club, you weren’t going to get it during Rose’s interview on Sunday. Before coming to the Knicks, Rose was a player agent at CAA. He may not have experience as a team president, but he’s well-aware of the impact of a public statement from an organization’s top voice. So he wasn’t going to divulge too much about the Knicks’ offseason approach in this interview.

Here’s what he said about Randle:

“Julius is a passionate player. He’s a person who – last year everything went right. This year things didn’t go right. He still wound up one of (three) players to average 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic are the others).

“Things happened on the court, we saw some emotion coming out, saw some things happening. I think it affected his play at times. He felt remorseful for some of those things, as he expressed to the fans in his letter he sent. He kept working and worked through it to the end of the season.”

Randle gave fans a "thumbs down" during a game in the first half of the season, later explaining that he meant the gesture as a way to say "shut the f--- up" to fans who were booing him.

Fan interaction aside, Randle also struggled with his shooting. The Knicks mirrored Randle’s regression, finishing in 12^th place in the Eastern Conference a season after they made the playoffs in 2020-21.

Rose was asked by Breen about Randle’s struggles.

“(He) was just not comfortable at times. It was just not being comfortable. He gave it his best effort. The three-point shot just didn’t go like last year and you had teams keying on him more this year. At the end he made some adjustments. He carried the burden. I was proud of the fact he did fight through it.”

Rose said Randle told him that he wants to remain in New York, something the 27-year-old has said throughout the season.

“Julius loves it here in New York, wants to be in New York,” Rose said.

The Knicks inked Randle to a five-year extension in the 2021 offseason. Whether they will trade him or keep him is an open question after this year. Several teams expressed interest in Randle prior to the 2021 deadline with the belief that he can thrive in a different role than he’d been playing in New York.

(**As an aside, this was Rose’s first interview since he sat down with a group of reporters prior to the 2021-22 season. Since taking over as team president, Rose has conducted three interviews: one after Tom Thibodeau was hired, one before the 2021-22 season and Sunday’s with MSG Network. Sunday’s interview was Rose’s first conducted on his own (without Thibodeau or GM Scott Perry). Fans may care about this. They may not. 

Traditionally, a lead executive will communicate with the local media more often than Rose has. It’s unclear if Rose will speak with local media in the coming days/weeks. If he chooses not to speak with local media after conducting an interview with MSG Network, it would show a lack of respect for the local media who cover the team. Again -- some fans care about this. Most probably don’t).

ON THIBS

Thibodeau won Coach of the Year last season. This year, he and his club underperformed, based on preseason expectations. Thibodeau certainly deserves criticism for the Knicks’ performance. But I think a healthy share of the blame can be placed on the front office and players.

Rose was asked about Thibodeau’s performance this season and the plan for Thibodeau moving forward. Here’s what he said:

"As far as Thibs performance goes, I mean, again, he’s one of the best coaches in the NBA. So obviously none of us are happy with the results this year. But he’s a guy who prepares our team better than anybody. I feel that he’s done a good job under the circumstances."

Bleacher Report reported that Rose had decided last month that Thibodeau would be back next season. ESPN also reported that Thibodeau is safe for next season.

SNY has not independently confirmed that. But people in touch with the Knicks and Thibodeau expect the coach to return next season.

New York finished the season strongly under Thibodeau.

RJ Barrett played well with the ball in his hands in the calendar year. Quentin Grimes was a regular in Thibodeau’s rotation after injuries gave him an opportunity to play. Obi Toppin produced when he got extended minutes in Randle’s absence. Immanuel Quickley had a strong second half.

Rose said on Sunday that he’s encouraged by what he’s seen from the younger players over the past few weeks.

"We’re not in the playoffs. That was our goal. We wanted to be in the playoffs. We wanted to take a step. But I feel as though since the All-Star break, the team has shown some momentum and has shown some good signs," Rose said. "We’ve been 11-11. We’ve won eight out of our last 13. And the opportunities that have been given to the guys you just referred to have been — these guys have gotten an opportunity and taken advantage of it. And for us, that’s very exciting. 

"Jericho [Sims] going against starting centers, the 58th pick in the draft. Obi, the last week or so has just taken it to another level, scoring a career-high 35 the last game. Quentin, who had already established himself in the rotation. Deuce [Miles McBride] getting minutes and doing a good job with it. Quick playing point guard and showing some signs.

"And RJ is only 21 years old. We have nine players on our team who are 24 years old or younger and Julius is only 27, so … we look at that like development is key. And just in this part of the season, we’ve seen some good development and just need to work and continue on and build on that.”

BIG PICTURE

In his 2020 letter to fans and his subsequent interviews with the media, Rose has said that he wants to take a step by step approach to build the Knicks. After this season’s struggles, does Rose feel the need to make a significant offseason move to put New York back on track? If he does, he says it won’t be a deviation from his original plan.

"We have to stick to the plan, we have to build one block at a time, be patient. We feel like we’re set up really well as far as we’ve got 13 draft picks over the next three drafts, four first-round picks. With regard to opportunities that may come along (via free agency or the trade market), we’re very flexible … we want to show patience, we want to show prudence in making those decisions and continuing to develop what we have."

Again, Rose isn’t going to tip his hand in any interviews with the media. He’s not going to state publicly that he plans to trade Randle or make a play for a disgruntled star. But he also knows that this is an imperative offseason for his group. If taking a patient approach this summer yields another 12^th place finish in 2022-23, the entire organization will be heavily scrutinized entering the 2023 offseason.